By Peter Richards
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Apr 10, CMC- Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders will meet virtually on Friday afternoon to discuss several issues including the controversy surrounding the re-appointment of Dr. Carla Barnett, the Secretary General of the 15-member regional grouping.
CARICOM chairman and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew said that the meeting, which was originally scheduled for April 7, had to be rescheduled to 2.00 pm (local time) due to the state funeral in Suriname of that country’s former head of state, Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
Trinidad and Tobago had been calling for a meeting of CARICOM to deal with the re-appointment of the Belizean economist, insisting that it was “deliberately uninvited” to the meeting where the agreement had been reached in St. Kitts and Nevis in February.
The country’s CARICOM and Foreign Affairs Minister, Sean Sobers earlier this week that Port of Spain would be seeking a meeting of CARICOM to challenge the reappointment and that fresh elections could also be placed on the table.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has already condemned the “surreptitious and odious process” used regarding the reappointment of Barnett, saying it could have long term effects for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
(Details in Politics section)
CMC/2026